I HAVE a young friend working in the heart of Africa. The stories and
pictures she sends back, when there is an Internet connection, are
simply amazing.
In the remote village where she works to raise
the mother tongue literacy level of the refugees living nearby, there is
hardly any power-generated lighting. Whatever is available has to be
carefully rationed.
At night, she is blanketed by a sky full of stars. And when the moon is full, it is almost possible to read by moonlight.
I
have known this friend for a long time and seen how her passion for
life, and her quest for knowledge, has taken her to both the United
States and Australia to gain degrees up to postgraduate level. Coming
from a middle-class home in Petaling Jaya, with a fine attitude to
complement her accomplished CV, she can easily fit into any job.
But
she has chosen to take the road less travelled. And it is on such a
road that she knows how to be thankful for the many things that we often
take for granted.
Recently, she and her team came upon a
solar-powered oven. No, not the type run by solar cells but basically a
wooden box with black painted metal inside and a sheet of glass to keep
the heat in, and an open lid with zinc that directs the sun’s rays into
the box.
It cooks rice, sauce, pasta, and bread. Quite amazing, she tells me in a recent email.
For
rice or bread, for example, you just prepare everything and put the pot
inside, cover it with a black sheet, and two to three hours later, hey
presto, it’s done.
“Even if we use the solar oven just for rice
and bread, it could save us a lot of gas. I’m just amazed that putting
something in a box in the sun can cook it!” she writes.
We can
actually do this here as well, since there is no shortage of sunshine,
but considering that we have a choice of either a gas, electric or
microwave oven, I doubt if anyone wants to go back to such basics.
Growing
up in Jelutong, Penang, we baked Chinese New Year cookies with
something very basic as well. A giant pan is placed over a fire, and a
zinc plate is placed over it, and then charcoal is added onto the zinc,
thus creating an instant oven.
When we went fishing, we made our own nets. Even the weights we used, we melted the lead ourselves.
We used to also make our own toys, cupboards and shelves with the waste wood that my uncle took back from the lumberyard.
Perhaps
it is a reflection of my growing-up years that I still like to buy
stuff from Ikea as I can still do some of the assembly myself. But
putting together pre-cut parts is not quite the same as starting from
scratch.
But when you consider the number of high-tech
conveniences at our disposal, gadgets that are so smart or easy to
operate, you might think that we now should have more time on our hands.
But is that so?
It would appear that the very gadgets that are
meant to simplify our lives end up complicating them. For instance,
never in the history of mankind have people been so connected –
smartphones and tablets make us reachable 24/7. But whether better
connectivity has translated into better communication is something else
all together.
Perhaps what is needed is to occasionally silence
all those beeping and flashing devices that incessantly demand our
attention, and pause to reflect on whether we are on course in our
life’s journey.
I suspect that those who are deeply convinced of
being on course are very likely to be people who have disentangled
themselves from modern trappings, and found the simple joys in life.
Which
is why I am most impressed with what my dear friend is doing in Africa
with her nifty solar oven, and indeed, with her life. Not only her, but
also many here in our country are quietly doing work in their
communities, giving free tuition to the poor, feeding the homeless,
helping the marginalized, building bridges with neighbours irrespective
of race, religion or creed.
No cutting edge technology is required to reach out and touch lives.
SOO EWE JIN @thestaronline
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